Biography

“Tony Trischka is known as the father of modern bluegrass” – NY Times.

In the height of lockdown in 2020, banjo extraordinaire Tony Trischka received a mysterious package in his mailbox that would significantly change his next few years. Its contents: one USB drive full of rare recordings of Earl Scruggs jamming with John Hartford, mostly taken from private gatherings at Earl’s house during the 80s and 90s. Naturally, Trischka began pouring over the more than 200 songs, transcribing the all-new solos, tones, and tricks from the man he’d been studying for over half a century. Inspired, he featured a number of these pieces as part of an overview of Earl’s career, premiering the concept at the venerable Joe's Pub in New York City. When Down The Road’s Ken Irwin heard a recording of the show, he and Trischka agreed there should be an album of this unique material.

Today, Trischka released the project dubbed Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs on Irwin’s Down The Road record label to the delight of bluegrass fans worldwide. Names like Vince Gill, Stuart Duncan, Del McCoury, and Darol Anger fill the album liner notes next to those of Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, Brittany Haas, Dominick Leslie, and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, creating a cross-generational, genre-spanning band of, let’s face it, a heaping of the best pickers alive today; all in tribute to the pioneer who would’ve been 100 years old this year.

Fans can stream or purchase Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs today at this link and be sure to check out Trischka’s Earl Jam Band tour dates below. In-studio performance videos of Earl Jam tracks and more can be found on Trischka’s YouTube channel, as well.